Bioware Considering Changing Ending of Mass Effect 3

Having completed Mass Effect 3 (with a character I imported across all three titles) I felt it was a hugely emotional end to the series (granted, the problems don’t come along until you see some of the other endings). However, I could see the potential for the ending being patched or changed. Now, following the recent controversy surrounding the ending of Mass Effect 3, a statement has been posted on the official Mass Effect Facebook page suggesting that DLC to change the ending of the game is still on the table, and that they are weighing up fan feedback whilst they think about it.

The statement reads:

“We are aware that there are concerns about a recent post from this account regarding the ending of the game. In this post it was stated that at this time we do not have plans to change the ending.

We would like to clarify that we are actively and seriously taking all player feedback into consideration and have ruled nothing out. At this time we are still collecting and considering your feedback and have not made a decision regarding requests to change the ending.

Your feedback and opinions are of the utmost importance to us. We apologize for any confusion this has caused. Our top priority regarding this discussion is to keep communication with you, our loyal fans, open and productive.“

This statement was issued in response to comments made by the game’s director Casey Hudson last week. Many upset fans have started petitions asking for the ending to be altered, and some have even started raising money for the charity Child’s Play. The organisers of Retake Mass Effect Child’s Playhave raised over thirty thousand dollars saying they did so to “bring positive attention to our petition for an alternate ending to the fantastic Mass Effect series. We would like to dispel the perception that we are angry or entitled. We simply wish to express our hope that there could be a different direction for a series we have all grown to love.”

One outraged fan went so far as to urge that fans make complaints of false advertising to the FTC (Federal Trade Commission). He wrote:

“After reading through the list of promises about the ending of the game they made in their advertising campaign and PR interviews, it was clear that the product we got did not live up to any of those claims. This thread has a great compilation of their claims: http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/355/index/10056886

Clearly, none of these were represented in the ending. If anyone else wishes to file a complaint (the more there are the more likely the FTC will take action) just go to FTC.gov and fill out a complaint form in the Consumer Protection section.”

Many journalists have urged BioWare not to alter the ending, as they feel that it would be the first step down a dangerous road for the industry. Editor-In-Chief of Game Informer Andy McNamara said on Twitter “Seriously, if @bioware changes the ending of ME3 because people cry, it’s letting a cat out of the bag that can’t be returned.”

What do you guys think? Have you completed the game? Should BioWare change the ending? Would it cause problems if they did? Let us know in the comments below.